Saying he believes the value of the scientific and technical research carried
out by the national labs "is critical to our nation," Energy Secretary Federico
Peña said those contributions make DOE too valuable an agency to be
abolished.

Peña spoke to employees at DOE's Oakland Operations Office after
attending the May 29 groundbreaking ceremony for the National Ignition Facility
at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. He drew repeated applause for his praise of
efforts by the Oakland office and the three DOE labs in the area--Berkeley,
Livermore, and Los Alamos. He called for the labs to work more closely together
and to "continue their world-class science." He also stressed the importance of
communicating the many ways the labs' research contributes to the nation's
well-being.

During a question-and-answer session after his remarks, Peña was asked
about a Washington Post opinion column calling for DOE's dismantlement.

"I don't want to spend time on an issue that isn't going anywhere," he said.
"DOE is not going to be abolished. I think it's more constructive to spend our
time carrying out our important work."

As a result of work at DOE labs, small companies are being started to
capitalize on new technology and research in areas such as cancer treatment
that touch the lives of people in ways the public may not realize or
appreciate, he said.

Referring to DOE's missions, Peña identified four key areas he wants to
continue:

The extraordinary scientific and technical work by the 30,000 scientists at the national labs;

The stewardship and maintenance of the nation's stockpile of nuclear
weapons;

The development of a sound energy security policy, which could be adopted
by the end of the year;

The clean-up of environmental problems created during the Cold War.

As
a personal mission, Peña said he would like to see DOE's unmatched
resources used to help improve science and math education in the United States
and to encourage students of all ages to become scientists and engineers.

"If we can support the work of dozens of Nobel Prize winners, I think we can
help millions of kids across the country," he said. "There's a great
opportunity here for us to use our resources in a more creative way."

The Secretary described his work style as one that favors "product, not paper,
and performance, not process."

He also called for improved communication within the DOE complex, calling it
essential for successful teamwork. Many of the problems that led to his
termination of the management contract at Brookhaven National Lab resulted from
poor communication among everyone involved, he said. The result was a
"confusing matrix of miscommunication" that obscured responsibility.

"We lost the trust of the community," he said. "That's completely unacceptable.
We want all of our facilities to be good neighbors."

Berkeley Lab's efforts to secure a permit modification for its waste handling
operations were met with a citizens' lawsuit this week, with the support of
funding from the cities of Berkeley and Oakland.

The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Monday by the Group to
Eliminate Toxics, seeks a judicial order for the Lab to prepare "a new,
subsequent or supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR)," and seeks to
enjoin the Lab from taking actions related to the proposed permit modification
unless an EIR is issued.

Laboratory Environmental Counsel Nancy Shepard said the Lab "will vigorously
defend the lawsuit. We believe we have met and exceeded all analysis and review
requirements established by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for
projects of this type."

On May 9, Laboratory officials submitted a "subsequent mitigated negative
declaration" to the state Department of Toxic Substances Control, indicating
that Berkeley Lab had completed a thorough environmental review of the
potential impacts of its proposed minor modifications to its Hazardous Waste
Handling Facility operations. The CEQA determination is a prerequisite to the
state's consideration and approval of permit changes.

In its analysis, the Lab concluded that, with mitigations, the proposed
modifications would not result in any health or environmental impacts
significantly different than those addressed in previous CEQA documents.

Earlier last month, the city councils of Berkeley and Oakland took unusual
steps in reacting to the Laboratory's decision.

The City of Berkeley was the first to respond. Voting unanimously at its
meeting on May 13, the city council authorized a contribution of $5,000 to
$15,000 "to a community group, such as the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste or
COPE, that is found to have a bonafide proposal related to the EIR, as a
one-time allocation until such time as guidelines are established."
Councilmember Polly Armstrong placed the issue on the agenda.

Two weeks later, the City of Oakland was more specific. Again with a unanimous
vote on a resolution forwarded by John Russo, Jane Brunner and Nancy Nadel, the
city council authorized the city attorney to "negotiate and execute an
agreement with a qualified entity, in an amount not to exceed $10,000 ... to
bring legal action challenging the approval of the project without an EIR."

In both cases, Berkeley Lab representatives, led by waste management group
leader Robin Wendt, had explained to city officials the elaborate process the
Laboratory conducted to conform with CEQA requirements, including an EIR in
1990 for the new Hazardous Waste Handling Facility.

Under CEQA, a subsequent mitigated negative declaration is prepared when an EIR
has already been done and a follow-up study shows that proposed changes to the
previously approved project will not involve new, or substantially more severe,
significant impacts.

The decision to issue a subsequent mitigated negative declaration was based
upon information contained in a detailed "Initial Study" prepared for the
modifications, plus written and verbal information received from the public and
agencies during and after a 65-day public comment period. The study included
consideration and response to 248 comments on its CEQA analysis from 153
individuals and organizations. The Lab also responded to 172 comments on
general Lab operations. In addition, public meetings about the proposed
modifications and the CEQA studies were held by the Lab on Oct. 12 and Nov. 16,
1995, and Feb. 5, 1996.

The lawsuit, filed by Berkeley attorney Michael Freund, states that approval of
the subsequent mitigated negative declaration "allows the laboratory to expand
and to alter quantities of the dangerous waste streams that are stored at the
HWHF's, without the comprehensive environmental review of an EIR." The overall
effect of the modifications requested, according to the complaint, "is to
substantially increase the amount and potency of the waste streams by adding
more gallons and curies of waste, especially mixed waste."

Most of the Lab's requested modifications accommodate on-site storage for mixed
waste until off-site storage, treatment, and disposal facilities specified in
the Lab's Site Treatment Plan can receive the Lab's waste. The modification to
the "Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B Permit," if granted
by DTSC, would authorize the Lab to:

store one new hazardous waste stream and two new mixed waste (a combination
of hazardous plus radioactive) streams generated by research activities at the
Lab;

perform additional waste treatment methods and treat different waste types
so that wastes can be reduced in quantity, stored safely, and put in a form
that is acceptable for off-site treatment or disposal;

As required by CEQA,
potential environmental impacts from the modifications were taken into
consideration in making the decision. Areas addressed include planning and land
use; population, employment and housing; geology, soils and seismicity;
hydrology and water quality; biological resources; cultural and historical
resources; traffic and transportation; visual quality and aesthetics; air
quality; noise and vibration; utilities and infrastructure; public services;
energy; and hazardous materials, including risks to human health under both
normal operations and under several accident scenarios, such as a firestorm or
major earthquake.

In April, Berkeley Lab began operations at its new state-of-the-art Hazardous
Waste Handling Facility. The new building's activities will change only
slightly under the proposed Part B permit modification.

The Laboratory has sought the modifications in part because the Department of
Energy's Site Treatment Plan for the Laboratory requires treatment of most
mixed waste off-site. Mixed waste treatment locations are currently limited but
will likely open up in the near future. In the meantime, the Lab has asked for
permission to slightly expand its storage capacity. Mixed waste storage limits
requested in the modifications could be accommodated within the new facility
and one additional storage locker.

The new treatment methods requested would not require modifications to the new
facility.

Beginning at midnight on July 1, primary security services at the Lab will be
transferred to a private contractor, Burns Security International. Burns
officers will provide enhanced services, including unarmed security officers at
each of the three gates (following existing schedules), as well as two roving
security patrols around the clock, seven days a week. The UC Police Department
will restructure its services and focus its response specifically to situations
involving law and parking enforcement (e.g., emergency calls, criminal
investigations, parking, etc.).

The change, according to Lab security manager Don Bell, came after Laboratory
management re-evaluated security and site access controls, and made some cost
effective changes.

Until 1992, the Lab maintained its own in-house police force, with a
combination of sworn police officers and security staff. In July 1992, the UC
Berkeley Police Department assumed responsibility for police services at
Berkeley Lab through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Lab and campus.
The latest change will result in services more focused on Lab needs, Bell
says.

New services

Some of the new services provided by Burns will include patrols
of all buildings, day and night. Special emphasis to check building security
and sensitive equipment will be included in the security officers'
instructions, and offsite buildings will be targeted for more frequent
checks.

Night escort service between buildings and parking lots is a new feature that
will also be provided. To facilitate traffic flow and visitor guidance, there
will be two security officers at the main (Blackberry) gate during peak traffic
hours (6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.). For visitors unsure of their destination, guide
service will be available. Roving security officers will prepare daily reports
that will cover a broad check of lab conditions, including information about
unsecured property, inoperable lighting, possible safety issues and other
observations. Burns will also provide an onsite security manager who will be
located in Bldg. 65.

Operations hub

The hub of field security operations will be the Blackberry Gate
kiosk. Berkeley Lab security alarms will be monitored there, and the security
officer will have a radio console to dispatch patrols in response to alarms.
Should the UCPD be required, a ring-down line to the police dispatch center
will be available. The Blackberry facility will also monitor emergency phone
calls (X7911) and dispatch security officers to provide traffic and crowd
control as necessary.

"The message we're conveying to Burns is that we expect security and site
access to be a proactive service with value added to the Lab," Bell says. "We
want to ensure that people who have a legitimate requirement to be here, find
their way to their destination with prompt and courteous service from security.
Likewise, we want to consistently enforce Lab site access policy to ensure the
safety and security of employees, guests and contractors. I will welcome
employee feedback on the quality of service provided by Burns, and remain
committed to continuous improvements in site access and security."

Burns officers will be easily identified by their uniform--white shirt with
dark trousers and name tag. Patrols will be in cars marked with the Berkeley
Lab logo and "Security." Effective July 1, Security may be reached by dialing
X5472, or in an emergency, X7911.

In this issue we devote pages three and four to the subject of tritium and the
Lab's National Tritium Labeling Facility. The NTLF has received recent
attention by some members of the local community. The articles are intended to
provide employees with factual information about both tritium and the work of
the NTLF, and to allay possible concerns stemming from recent public
discussions. We also include an important message from Lab Director Charles
Shank.

As announced in March of this year, a number of organizational changes in the
Human Resources Department have been made to improve services, combine related
activities and reduce duplication of effort. One of these moves was to align
all site access activities under Security Services in the EH&S Division.

As part of this move, the current Parking and Badging Office in Bldg. 65 will
now become the Site Access Office, under the management of Sue Bowen, the Lab's
new site access administrator. Lynellen Watson, a member of the Human Resources
Department who has operated this office for several years, will assume new HR
duties at Bldg. 938.

According to security manager Don Bell, the new position was created to
coordinate lab-wide parking, badging, visitor access, reserved parking and to
process visitors in a seamless manner at Bldg. 65.

The Site Access Office will also be the focal point for coordinating with the
Burns Security Officers at the gates (see related article). Bell says he and
Bowen are committed to improving customer service in all areas of site access,
including facilitating access for guests; prompt and courteous service during
the issuance of parking permits and ID cards; and prompt response to requests
for service and problem resolution. They both welcome suggestions on
improvements and will be working with the divisions in the coming months to
develop solutions to long-standing issues.

Bowen will relocate to Bldg. 65-13 by the end of June. She may be reached at
X6395.

Photo:A group of 23 visitors from the Parliament of Thailand, including
six parliament members, visited Berkeley Lab and the Advanced Light Source on a
world-wide tour of high-technology companies and facilities. The leader of the
group was Ms. Pavena Hongsakul, member of parliament and chair of the House
Committee on Science and Technology. The group was greeted by Director Charles
Shank, given an overview of the Lab by Reid Edwards, and given an overview of
synchrotron radiation and the ALS by ALS Director Brian Kincaid.

A synchrotron light source, the Siam Photon Project, is presently under
construction in Khorat, Thailand, and Kincaid explained how a light source
contributes to the science, technology, and economy of the host country. Fred
Schlachter of the ALS, who is a member of the International Advisory Committee
for the Siam Project, arranged the visit. (XBD9705-02536)Photo by Roy Kaltschmidt

Robert Serber, who headed the Theoretical Physics Department at the Lab during
its early days, died of complications following brain surgery on June 1 in
Manhattan. He was 88.

Serber's knowledge of particle physics made him a key figure in the development
of the atomic bomb in World War II and paved the way for future experimental
physicists.

Author of many publications, he once published a manual called "Serber Says,"
in which he discussed the latest news in nuclear physics.

Born in 1909 in Philadelphia, he received his bachelor's degree from Lehigh
University in Bethlehem, Pa., in 1930, and his Ph.D. in physics at the
University of Wisconsin in 1934.

After graduating, Serber heard a lecture by Robert Oppenheimer, future director
of the Los Alamos part of the Manhattan Project, and was so intrigued that he
moved west to UC Berkeley to work with Oppenheimer. There, Oppenheimer became
his mentor and close friend, and in 1941, chose Serber to be his assistant in
the Los Alamos Project.

Known for his expertise of proton-proton interactions, Serber advised many
experimental physicists about fission when they were designing the atomic bomb.
He was a member of the first team sent to Nagasaki and Hiroshima to assess the
damage caused by the bombs.

"Robert Serber was a fine gentleman, a good theorist and an especially good
teacher," said Glenn Seaborg, Berkeley Lab's associate director-at-large. "He
could communicate issues in nuclear science very well. At the time, I think his
greatest contribution to physics was his understanding of elemental
particles."

Ed Lofgren, who also knew Serber in the Lab's early days, remembers him as a
highly respected and soft-spoken theoretical physicist.

After the war, Serber became a professor at UC Berkeley. In 1951, he moved to
Columbia University after objecting to taking the oath of loyalty to the United
States, which was then required of professors in California.

Serber is survived by his wife, the former Fiona St. Clair, and sons Zachariah
and William. His first wife, Charlotte, died in 1967.

An environmental risk assessment conducted for tritium releases at Berkeley
Lab's National Tritium Labeling Facility (NTLF) has found that the tritium
emissions result in a dose to the public that is well below the estimated
"safe" limit permitted by federal guidelines.

For people working within a 100-meter radius of the NTLF, the study estimates
the dose as one fourth the federal public standard. Compared to this
estimation, a three-month urine study of employees within that radius showed a
dose 40 times lower than the standard.

For those beyond the 100-meter zone, the dose is about 70 times below the
standard.

The study was organized by Thomas E. McKone when he was a member of the Health
and Ecological Assessment Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
McKone now works in Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division
and teaches in UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. Other contributors
include Chao Shan, of Berkeley Lab's Earth Sciences Division, and Kevin Brand,
now at Harvard.

The risk assessment was commissioned more than two years ago after members of
the Berkeley community expressed concerns about the potential human health
effects of the labeling facility's tritium emissions. It was independently
reviewed by the California Department of Health Services, the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The
report has been delivered as resource material to the Tritium Issues Work
Group, the independent community-based task force charged with monitoring and
assessing tritium emissions as an adjunct to Berkeley Lab's monitoring
program.

The Laboratory's risk assessment reports that, even when applying conservative
assumptions about tritium exposure, the Lab's emissions result in an
exceedingly small estimated increase in cancer risk beyond what an exposed
individual experiences just by living in Berkeley. For the population of people
working at Berkeley Lab and living and working near the facility (a total of
about 122,000 in the assessment), the increased incidence of cancer resulting
from tritium emissions is estimated to be far less than one per 100 years for
the affected population.

Even these risk estimates are considered to represent an upper boundary, given
that the following assumptions were used:

The average residential exposure is assumed to be 12 to 24 hours a day for 70 years.

Workers in the area are assumed to be exposed every working day for 40 years.

It is assumed that people eat tritium-contaminated garden produce on a
regular basis, even though few residents have gardens and no tritium has been
detected to date in local produce.

It also assumes that 100,000 adults wade in Strawberry Creek 30 days a year
for two hours each day.

Other key points from the assessment:

All Berkeley residents are exposed to radiation from natural sources
("background" radiation), which yields an estimated 16 cancers each year per
100,000 people. Using the same formula and the risk assessment assumptions
noted above, exposure to tritium emissions from Berkeley Lab would add a
maximum 0.002 incidents of cancer per year to the exposed population.

A person working or living outside Berkeley Lab but within 1,100 meters of
the tritium labeling facility has a six-in-a-million chance of incurring a
cancer from tritium exposure, according to the risk assessment. For Berkeley
residents beyond that radius, the lifetime risk is less than one-in-a-million.
By contrast, all Berkeley residents are calculated to have an
11,000-in-a-million chance for cancer incidence as a result of other sources of
radiation exposure.

The projected annual radiation dose from tritium air emissions to the
maximally exposed member of the public is 0.13 millirem; federal health safety
guidelines place the annual individual exposure limit at 10 millirem. The
National Committee on Radiological Protection says that any individual exposure
level less than one millirem is negligible.

There are no human studies that demonstrate a link between exposure to
low-level radiation and health effects. The risk assessment assumes such
effects based upon extrapolation from high-dose exposures--even though
scientific literature also notes natural repair of radiation damage in the body
at low-dose levels.

Complete copies of the risk assessment are available at the Bldg. 50
Library and at the Berkeley Central Library.

This collection of stories is designed to bring Berkeley Lab employees
up to date on an issue that has generated public discussion over the past
year--the National Tritium Labeling Facility and its minute levels of tritium
that are emitted as part of its important work.

I want to assure all people who work and live at or near the Laboratory that
this environment is absolutely safe and poses no health risk to you or members
of the greater Berkeley community. We are confident that subsequent testing by
a third-party monitoring group, plus our own continuing analysis program, will
validate what has been proven through our own extensive, regulated monitoring
for years.

I encourage anyone with further questions about this issue to contact David
McGraw, division director for Environment, Health and Safety, or members of the
NTLF staff.

The Tritium Issues Work Group, the so-called "third-party" monitoring committee
that was established along with a $100,000 commitment of support from Berkeley
Lab Director Charles Shank, is currently reviewing the Lab's existing
environmental monitoring program and reported data.

Co-chaired by representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
the State of California's Department of Health Services, the Work Group is
charged with reviewing and interpreting existing data on emissions from the
Lab's National Tritium Labeling Facility (NTLF) and developing a plan for
further sampling and evaluation.

Membership includes representatives from the cities of Berkeley and Oakland,
the Department of Energy, University of California, Department of Toxic
Substances Control, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Berkeley's
Community Environmental Advisory Committee, and a citizens' group, the
Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste. Berkeley Lab's participants are Ron Pauer,
group leader for environmental protection, and Iraj Javandel, program manager
for environmental restoration.

Since February, the Work Group has met once a month to establish a plan for
independent surveying of tritium levels that would address community concerns
about amounts and potential health risks. The task is expected to be completed
in early 1998.

In the meantime, environmental activists continue to engage in an information
campaign in the community, which includes weekend protests at the Lawrence Hall
of Science. Visitors are greeted by demonstrators, some wearing protective
masks over their mouths, handing out fliers which warn about radioactivity in
the area. Hall of Science employees counter with handouts that reassure people
of the safety of the Hall and its exhibits.

Protesters have also distributed literature at Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley
campus and on the lawn at the Oxford Street entrance to the campus.

Berkeley Lab spokespersons have welcomed public forums in which to address the
issue. In early May, EH&S Division Director David McGraw and NTLF facility
manager Phil Williams were guests on KCSM-TV as part of a discussion on
tritium. Lab representatives have made several presentations to staff members
at the Lawrence Hall of Science about the work of the NTLF, emissions data and
health risk assessments.

The tritium issue has been the subject of published letters in the local news
media, and Lab personnel have responded to numerous community inquiries by mail
and phone.

Photo:Phil Williams and Hiromi Morimoto of the National Tritium Labeling
Facility conduct tritium labeling reactions in the tritiation workbox. Labeled
products are used in a range of pharmaceutical and biochemical
applications. (XBD9706-02505-01)Photo by Roy Kaltschmidt

Editor's Note: The use of tritium at Berkeley Lab's National Tritium
Labeling Facility has been the subject of intense public discussion with
community representatives for more than a year. In response to citizen
concerns, the Laboratory has prepared answers to a series of most frequently
asked questions about tritium and its scientific applications at the
Laboratory.

Q: What is tritium?

A: Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen. Chemically, tritium
behaves like stable hydrogen and is usually found attached to molecules in
place of hydrogen. For example, a water molecule may exchange one of its
hydrogen atoms for a tritium atom, resulting in "tritiated water." Tritium is
constantly produced both by natural processes (the interaction of cosmic rays
with the atmosphere) and by human-made processes. Tritium is used in a wide
variety of consumer products, such as illuminated watches, thermostat dials,
and exit signs. Both natural and human sources contribute to a worldwide
background level of tritium.

Q: Why is tritium used at Berkeley Lab?

A: Berkeley Lab's National Tritium Labeling Facility (NTLF) was
established as a National Institutes of Health national resource center in
1982. The Facility's role is to conduct research, help biomedical researchers
study cell metabolism, and test new products that can be useful in curing
disease. Facility staff and visiting researchers "label" pharmaceuticals and
other materials with tritium (replacing hydrogen atoms with tritium atoms). For
example, a potential cancer drug might be labeled so that researchers can trace
where the tritium-labeled drug is deposited in the body and evaluate its
effectiveness in treating a particular type of cancer. Because tritium is
radioactive, it can be easily distinguished and measured, whereas the
"nonlabeled" material could be hard to find in the body.

The NTLF is unique in the United States as it provides the technology to do
labeling and analysis at the same location.

Q: What are the regulatory limits on exposures to radiation?

A: The government establishes exposure limits for radioactive materials.
For the general public, the radiation limit is 100 millirem per year above
background levels, for all exposure pathways. For occupational workers, the
limit is 2,000 millirem per year. The radiation exposure limit established by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an annual dose of 10 millirem
for air emissions (inhalation pathway) above background to any individual. A
Berkeley resident receives an average annual background radiation dose of
approximately 260 millirem from natural and human-made sources. A goal of
limiting radiation exposure to 4 millirem per year is the basis for the
drinking water standards established under the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Act.
(The drinking water standard for tritium, based on drinking 2 liters of water
per day for 70 years, is 20,000 picocuries per liter (pCi/l). A picocurie is a
trillionth, or 0.000000000001, of a curie).

Q: How much tritium from the NTLF goes into the environment?

A: Small quantities of tritiated water vapor (HTO) are emitted from the
NTLF. Berkeley Lab takes samples of stack air emissions, ambient air, rainfall,
groundwater, creeks, sewers, and vegetation to measure emission and
environmental levels. The Laboratory publishes these sample results annually
and sends the reports to various agencies, including the DOE, EPA, and to the
Berkeley Public Library.

As required by EPA regulation, Berkeley Lab calculates the annual doses to
members of the public using stack emission data and an EPA-approved method. In
1995, 50 curies of tritium were emitted from the NTLF, resulting in a maximum
dose to the public (at the Lawrence Hall of Science) of 0.13 millirem for the
year. Emissions were reduced to less than 3 curies in 1996, resulting in a
maximum dose of less than 0.01 millirem. This dose is less than 0.1 percent of
the 10 millirem per year public exposure limit established by the EPA. The
National Committee on Radiation Protection has stated that anything less than 1
millirem represents negligible health risk to the individual.

Berkeley Lab has detected low levels of tritium in soil, rain water,
groundwater, creeks and vegetation. Occasionally, the levels detected in
rainwater, soil and vegetation at some locations around the NTLF have been
above 20,000 pCi/l, which is the EPA threshold for drinking water. However, in
these cases the drinking water standard does not apply since none of this water
is used for human consumption, and none flows into sources of public drinking
water.

Tritium has been detected in the groundwater in the vicinity of the NTLF. This
groundwater tritium is being investigated as part of the Environmental
Restoration Program at Berkeley Lab. An extensive system of monitoring wells
has been installed at the Lab, including many in the vicinity of the NTLF. The
highest levels of tritium detected in groundwater has been 35,800 pCi/l in a
slope stability well. This water may have come from rain since a properly
developed monitoring well five feet away has never exceeded 6,000 pCi/l. No
tritium has been detected in groundwater at or outside the Laboratory fence
line. Investigations will continue to fully characterize tritium in groundwater
in coordination with federal, state and local regulators and with the
community.

Q: What is Berkeley Lab doing to minimize tritium emissions?

A: Even though stack air emissions have been far below the dose standard
prescribed by the EPA, the NTLF has pursued improvements to achieve even
further reductions. Emissions have been reduced as a result of improvements in
the efficiency of labeling techniques used at the NTLF, increased size of the
tritium exhaust filters, changes in storage procedures, improved disposal
methods, and redesign of equipment to contain the tritium. Today, about 80
percent of the tritium used in the research process is recycled and reused.
Most of the rest is captured on silica gel and safely packaged for storage and
eventual disposal. Less than one percent escapes to the environment.

Q: What are the community concerns?

A: There is currently a perception being promoted by a small group of
community activists that tritium emissions from the Laboratory are higher than
previously announced and are endangering the health of the surrounding
neighborhoods. The group also charges that important information regarding
tritium contamination has been suppressed, which the Laboratory strongly
denies. The data identified by activists as having been withheld by the Lab was
actually information gathered for an unpublished research paper and a student
doctoral thesis. Neither the data nor the sampling procedures by which it was
gathered and analyzed had been peer reviewed. Thus the Laboratory had not
included it in official documentation of monitoring results. At the City of
Berkeley's request, the Laboratory provided the raw data from its files. While
some of the measurements showed elevated levels of contamination in selected
data points, most of the results were consistent with previous laboratory
reports. (The two researchers in question concluded their contracts and were
not rehired, thus leading to additional community charges that the individuals
were fired because of what they found. The Laboratory categorically denies
this.)

Q: How can the community be assured that the Laboratory's tritium
assessments are correct, and what is Berkeley Lab doing to resolve the issue?

A: The Lab has committed $100,000 to support an independent third-party
tritium emission assessment. This will be led by a working group that includes
regulatory officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the
California Department of Health Services, the California Department of Toxic
Substances Control, the City of Berkeley, the City of Oakland, UC Berkeley, and
Berkeley community members. This group has been chartered to review current
data, draft a new comprehensive sampling/monitoring plan, perform the
sampling/monitoring, have the data independently evaluated/assessed, and
communicate the findings to the public.

This independent assessment will be performed in addition to the Laboratory's
current comprehensive monitoring program, which meets all regulatory
requirements.

During a physics demonstration to high schoolers a few years ago, members of
the Nuclear Science Division's Nuclear Science Education Committee were stunned
when students didn't know what an atom or its nucleus was. Realizing that the
students didn't understand modern physics, committee members decided to remedy
the situation by designing a nuclear physics wall chart.

Today, the "Nuclear Wall Chart" is on its way to becoming what the committee
hopes is a fixture in every high school science room. The highly graphic color
chart includes many topics and diagrams on the Big Bang, the elements, the
basics of nuclear physics, and current research areas.

"The purpose of this chart is to excite students about physics and the benefits
of research and applications," says Howard Matis, an NSD physicist and member
of the committee. "It also gives teachers a tool to help in this subject and
supplement their information."

The chart complements an earlier chart called the Standard Model of Fundamental
Particles and Interactions, which was produced some years ago by the
Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP)--a national organization of
physicists and teachers who create and provide educational products for high
schools and college students.

The chart has gone through several stages of development, revision and testing.
In August 1995, the group presented their new chart to CPEP, which gave them
feedback. After a year of revising, the physicists re-presented the new chart
and CPEP accepted it.

"There was no reason why the teaching of nuclear science couldn't be
modernized," Matis said. "This chart shows modern features of research topics
and elements that are commonly taught. It is a way to bring the forefront of
research to the classroom and anchor it in the curriculum.

"A lot of the development of the chart has been with input from high school
teachers," Matis said. "They have given valuable suggestions of content and
layout." Although students of all ages will enjoy the chart, it is mainly
geared towards high school and lower division college students, he said.

The chart is now in its final stages of completion and has been sent around the
world for field testing.

"Although it started at the Lab, there are people commenting on it all over the
world," Matis said. "We want responses from both physicists and chemists."

The field test results, expected this week, will be used in the final
revisions. The plan, Matis said, is to get CPEP's approval for the revised
chart and to publish it by February 1998.

Committee members are also in the process of designing a booklet guide written
at the high school level that will be given with the chart as a supplemental
research tool.

The NSD Education Committee, a group of NSD members dedicated to creating
educational projects for high schools and the community, received funding for
this project from the Division of Nuclear Physics, American Physics Society,
J.M. Nitschke Memorial Fund, and the Center for Science and Engineering
Education. (Mike Nitschke is a Lab scientist who died in 1995 and left his
estate for science education.) For more information, contact Matis at X5031.

Photo:Baby birds wait impatiently to be fed by their mother, who,
aparently wanting to raise well-educated chicks, built her nest in the inside
blinds of a Physics Division office window in Bldg. 50. According to office
occupant Orin Dahl, he and his office mates usually keep the window open for
ventilation, and the birds made the nest before anyone noticed. "Later, we
heard birds chirping and assumed there was a nest on top of the building," Dahl
said. A fellow researcher pointed out the well-hidden nest. The chicks
themselves were only visible during feeding time. It appears that they've now
flown the coop, which, according to fellow physicist Michael Barnett, is a good
thing: "The bird poop has really gotten to be something." (XBD9706-02447)Photo by Roy
Kaltschmidt

Starting Monday, June 16, the Laboratory will resume its shuttle bus service
between the Lab's East Canyon buildings (62/66 and 74/83) and Hearst Mining
Circle on campus. The UC Berkeley shuttle service, which has been handling
transportation between the two areas, will end today (June 13).

The Lab shuttle buses will run every 15 minutes, with the first bus of the day
departing Hearst Mining Circle at 8:55 a.m. The buses will make regular stops
at Bldgs 74-83, Bldgs 62/66, and the Strawberry Gate. The last bus of the day
will depart Hearst Mining Circle at 5:25 p.m.

Schedules will be posted at the bus stops. For more information, contact Lab
bus supervisor Tammy Brown at X4165.

The Golf Club recently welcomed the following new members: Ronnie Nelson, Gary
Nelson, Wayne Cox, Cecil Smith, and John Christman. For more information or to
join the club, contact Denny Parra at X4598.

Science Exploration Camp's (SEC) onsite summer program for elementary
school-age children gets under way next month. So far, the camp still has
openings for the first five weeks, July 21-August 22.

The camp is open to children and relatives of Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley
employees. It is a full-day camp with science activities in the morning and
recreational activities in the afternoon. Extended care is available both
before and after camp. The cost of the camp, which includes extended care,
morning and afternoon snacks, and the cost of all field trips, is $160/week.

Weekly themes are based on research being done at Berkeley Lab and will include
presentations and demonstrations by Lab researchers and staff. (If you would
like to make a presentation to the campers, please contact the camp's
organizers at the extension or e-mail address at the end of the article.)

Afternoon recreational activities include swimming two days a week at
Strawberry Canyon, and trips to Tilden and other local parks. Each week, a
field trip is planned to a local science museum, such as the Lawrence Hall of
Science or the San Francisco Exploratorium, or to the UC Botanical Garden.

This year's camp director is Gordon Ferguson, teacher and chairperson of the
science department at Chaboya Middle School in San Jose. He has also worked as
a mentor to train teachers on how to incorporate age-appropriate science
activities into their classrooms. Ferguson says his philosophy of teaching
science to children is to "learn science by doing science." His goal for this
summer's camp is to create an environment rich in discovery with plenty of
hands-on science activities, and visits to the labs of Berkeley Lab
researchers. Ferguson will be working closely with Lab staff to help them gear
their presentations to the age range of the campers.

The camp is organized by the Science Exploration Camp, a non-profit corporation
of Berkeley Lab employees and guests that is operated under a memorandum of
understanding with Berkeley Lab. The camp is not subsidized by the Lab, DOE, or
UC. All operating costs of the program are supported by camp tuition. This is
the camp's third summer of operation.

All employees, former employees, and retirees are invited to participate in the
second Berkeley Lab Craft Fair. The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on
Friday, Nov. 21 (the Friday before Thanksgiving) in the cafeteria. To reserve a
space, contact Kathy Ellington (Bldg. 90-3147; KLEllington@lbl.gov; fax:
X4089).

The Berkeley Lab Calendar is published biweekly here on the World
Wide Web and in Currents by the Public Information Department.
Employees can list a meeting, class, or event in the Calendar by using this
submission form. The deadline for
submissions is 5 p.m. on Monday in the week that Currents is published.

"Biodegradation and Bioremediation of Petroleum Components in Anoxic
Environments" will be presented by Lily Young of Rutgers University at noon in
Bldg. 50A-5132.

EETD Building Energy Seminar

"What People Really Want To Know About Indoor Air Quality" will be
presented by Bernard Bloom, of the Office of Environmental Policy &
Compliance in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Environmental
Protection at noon in Bldg. 90-3148.

Surface Science and Catalysis Science Seminar

"The Characterization of Fresh and Used Automobile Exhaust Catalysts"
will be presented by G. Djega-Mariadassou of the Universite Pierre et Marie
Curie, France at 1:30 p.m. in the Bldg. 66 auditorium.

Physics Division Research Progress Meeting

"Beautiful CP Violation" will be presented by Isi Dunietz of Fermilab at
4 p.m. in Bldg. 50A-5132; refreshments, 3:40 p.m.

WANTED: apt/house for visiting university scientists from Italy (married
couple), 7/1 - 9/30, for under $1K/mo. (or house-sitting arrangement), they
will also wish to buy an inexpensive car. 559-5687, 559-5773 (6/1-17)

WANTED: house to rent for 1 or 2 years, for French postdoc & family
arriving Aug., 3 children (8, 7 & 3), nonsmoker, Berkeley, Albany, El
Cerrito or surrounding area, can take care of pets. Alicia, X4251

Due to the large volume of ads received each week, ads are accepted only from
LBNL employees, retirees, and on-site DOE personnel. No other ads will be
accepted. We encourage past contributors to the Flea Market to use other local
services, such as LBNL's online housing listing (call X6198 for information),
and the UC Housing Office.

Please note also:

The deadline for ads is 5 p.m. Friday for the following week's issue.

Ads must be submitted in writing, via e-mail (fleamarket@lbl.gov), fax
(X6641), or delivery/mail to Bldg. 65B. No ads will be taken over the phone.

No ads will be accepted without your name, affiliation, Lab extension, and
home telephone number. You may ask that only one number appear in the ad.

Only items of your own personal property may be offered for sale.

Ads for material for resale in connection with a business will not be
accepted.

No ads for services will be taken.

Ads will run one week only unless resubmitted in writing. Ads will be
repeated only as space permits, and at the discretion of Currents. If an
item does not sell in a reasonable time period, we retain the right to
terminate the ad.

Currents/The View and the Communications Department Staff

Published once a month by the Communications Department for the employees and retirees of Berkeley Lab.